Below-Average Temperatures Arrive, No Significant Rain In Sight

 FastCast—Wednesday, Sep. 14 to Tuesday, Sep. 20:

Western Washington’s worst wildfire smoke since 2020 has left the area. On Wednesday and Thursday, expect partly to mostly cloudy skies, with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s and lows in the mid 50s. Friday and Saturday will be overcast and cooler, with highs in the low to mid 60s (coolest since June) and a slight chance of rain. Expect lows in the upper 40s to low 50s. Partly to mostly sunny conditions will return for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Expect highs in the mid 60s to low 70s and lows in the upper 40s to low 50s.

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Continue reading the full blog below!

Bolt Creek Fire update at the bottom of this blog.

For the first time in months, below average temperatures are in store for Western Washington (and a majority of the Pacific Northwest). The Climate Prediction Center outlook is below.

There is a 33-50% chance of below average temperatures over the entire Pacific Northwest from September 19th to 23rd, and in the current week, hence temperatures in the low to mid 60s late this week.

You’ll notice that high temperatures will be noticeably cooler than before our fire weather. The HRRR forecast for Wednesday is below.

Expect lowland highs in the mid 60s to low 70s. The coast won’t get out of the 50s, and even Eastern Washington will have a hard time getting out of the low 80s, likely a welcome relief after weeks over 90 degrees.

Temperatures will be even cooler on Friday, as seen in the European model below.

Expect Friday’s highs to be in the low to mid 60s for the lowlands (some areas in the upper 60s), and in the 70s in Eastern Washington, the coolest day in months on the east side of the mountains.

Unfortunately, little rain is expected with these cooler temperatures, as seen in the European model forecast through 5 AM Saturday.

Over 0.5 inches of rain is possible in the Olympics and parts of the North Cascades. Eastern Washington, generally north of I-90 and on the Idaho border, will get up to 0.2 inches. The lowlands and coast may get up to 0.1 inches, with the highest confidence for 0.1”+ from Everett northward.

Bolt Creek Fire Tuesday night update:

As of Tuesday night, the Bolt Creek Fire has burned 9,440 acres and is 5% contained. Evacuations remain in place in the towns of Index, Baring, Grotto, and Skykomish, and US-2 remains closed. A map of the fire is below from InciWeb, showing the fire’s perimeter (red) and the evacuations. The InciWeb link is a great place to get fire updates.

Lesser winds, a chance of showers, and higher relative humidity will help firefighters get the fire under control in the next few days.